Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen and promote scientific cooperation and research collaboration between the two institutions.

The agreement, signed at the MANA offices in Tsukuba, Japan, by Dr. Marc Vermeersch, QEERI’s executive director, and Dr. Takayoshi Sasaki, director of MANA, will enable researchers from QEERI’s Disruptive Technologies Program, part of QEERI’s Energy Center, to conduct joint research on the development of various nano-electronic devices including sensors and quantum electronics. Such devices offer several advantages over conventional silicon-based technologies and have a significant potential for building the next generation of computers and sensors.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Dr. Veronica Bermudez, senior research director at QEERI’s Energy Center, and Dr. Hicham Hamoudi who leads the Disruptive Technologies Program in the Energy Center at QEERI. Other representatives from NIMS at the signing ceremony included Dr. Yutaka Wakayama, Group Leader, Quantum Device Engineering Group, MANA, and Dr. Ryoma Hayakawa, Senior Researcher, Quantum Device Engineering Group, MANA.

Speaking on the importance of the agreement, Dr. Vermeersch said: “QEERI is committed to developing partnerships and collaborations that can support Qatar in attaining its research, technology, and development goals. This MoU with a prestigious institute such as MANA at NIMS will help QEERI enhance our research capabilities and allow us to learn and empower our researchers. We are looking forward to working closely with the skilled scientists, engineers, and researchers from NIMS.” Dr. Sasaki, director of MANA, said: “At MANA, one of our core values is to to encourage proactive science and nanotechnology research with a team of excellent researchers, and this MoU with QEERI will support us in achieving our vision to pioneer a new paradigm in materials development on the basis of ‘nanoarchitectonics’.”

Dr. Richard O’Kennedy, Vice President, Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI), and Vice President for Research at HBKU, said: “Through this MoU, we are delighted to pave the way for strategic cooperation in joint scientific research initiatives between QEERI and MANA. Leveraging MANA’s wealth of expertise and advanced capabilities in nano-electric devices, and the long-term exchange of know-how among our researchers and technologists, will contribute significantly to the strengthening of Qatar’s research and innovation ecosystem.”

QEERI has a national mandate to address Qatar’s ongoing and impending challenges pertaining to water, the environment, and energy. The institute operates four centers focusing on energy, water, environment and sustainability, and computational materials and chemistry. Apart from the Disruptive Technologies Program, QEERI’s Energy Center also focuses on Catalysis and Process Development, Energy Management, Energy Storage, Energy Conversion, and Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development.